Ranger’s Apprentice 3: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as the captives of the fearsome Skandian wolfship captain, Erak. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise – even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers, Halt is joined by Horace as he travels through Gallica toward Skandia. On their way, they are constantly challenged by freelance knights – otherwise known as thieving thugs. Horace knows a thing or two about combat, though, and he soon begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. But will they be in time to rescue Will from a life of slavery?

My Perspective

Book three in The Ranger’s Apprentice series follows Will and Evanlyn’s journey as captives to the Skandians. Meanwhile Halt, accompanied by Horace, leaves Araluen to fulfill his promise and find Will. However both parties face great challenges that may take their very lives.

This book really shows the improvement of the author’s writing skills. It was well written and not predictable like the previous two books. It was a lot darker though and suitable more for older children rather than younger. It makes me wonder if the author is writing the series taking into consideration that with each book his target audience is a little older than before, so therefore writing accordingly.

The characters were again such a strong point. Will was this little, fierce, determined fellow that you just feel so proud of. However what happens to him pretty much broke my heart. I was almost in tears. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say anything more. Again, I found Evanlyn slightly annoying however I was pleasantly surprised by her growth, and the strength and determination she showed. I actually really liked her by the end of the book. Halt and Horace were as likeable as ever and you just hope against hope that Halt will find Will.

The pace was steady however it’s not a book that you can easily put down. Again, you’ll probably want to have the next book handy!

I’m really enjoying the series and i would definitely say that i am ‘hooked’. I was glad to see that the writing has improved in this book and i’m hoping it’s not a fluke.

I would definitely recommend this book for children and even adults if you like fantasy and adventure. However you really need to start at the beginning with the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan.